


Blood, Dust n' Mud

by RaptorRed



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is a barrel racer, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zombies, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Earth is Etheria, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Horses, Humor, Lizardfolk, Magicat, Maybe slow burn? I have no clue, Multiple Humanoid Species, POV Catra (She-Ra), Useless Lesbians, World Magic but not powers, i grew up in the mountains, i used to show horses and i know survival skills so here we are, mentions of suicide in world, not ideations, ranch life, rodeo, shouldn't be any major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:42:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28689606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaptorRed/pseuds/RaptorRed
Summary: It's always forgotten. After 3000 years the cryptic writings seem vague and unclear. Every 3000 years an evil magic in the heart of Etheria flares. A Curse. It will come to be known as "The Prime Event." Those 24 months every 3000 years pushed evolution for tens of thousands of years, leaving only the prime of the dominant species'. You don't have to be bitten for the curse to inflict you. Once the soul vacates the body it becomes a host for the horde.OrCatra be simping for zombie killin', horse ridin', ranch havin' Adora.This has turned out to be my work on in between working on other stuff. So, not dead but randomly updated.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Various Side Character Relationships
Comments: 43
Kudos: 69





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35SyGMhxi1JbuotKayadZB?si=KME0u0zxSNmmqLIvfcWdmw  
> updated as chapters are posted.

One two, one two, one two three, duck, one two. The punching bag swayed. Her hands were starting to get sore. The fight was in two days and she had to be ready. Catra glanced at the clock. 8 pm. She’d already gone back and forth between the speed and heavy bag a couple of extra times already. Where were they? After shaking her limbs out Catra popped off the caps from her claws. They were harder to fight with but she couldn’t always keep them retracted in the heat of the moment so she practiced with them on. It was important to not jam them if they did come out. 

She couldn’t wait to rip Lonnie a new one. It was her job to pick everyone up for their meetings. They needed to discuss the fight plan. Win was the obvious conclusion, especially against this opponent. Catra never intentionally took a fall. If it looked like an against the odds fight they would hype up the other fighter, and if Catra won, well she won and they split the winnings. Most of the time though it was a matter of talking her down. Catra holding back and getting beat, but not too badly, for the first few rounds. Double Trouble ,aka DT, would move around, unseen and find new marks, suckers and rich fuckers. Lonnie and Rogelio would work the targets, and Kyle, well Kyle made Rogelio look trustworthy. Rogelio had a resting carnivor face but with his arms around Kyle people tended to have looser lips around him. Kyle himself was about as smooth as pomace stone so he just stayed quite.The basic game they had down but the details were always important- when Catra should start to drag, who was security at the venue and how much money they were going to fling around. 

Lonnie was the best at talking shit about Catra. They never really got along well but when they worked together they both knew what the other was thinking. Know your enemy and get rich off each other. She looked past her own reflection in the window and out at the snow covered city. Carefully she started to roll the wraps from her hands. This next opponent should be a piece of cake, which was the problem. How should they spin the odds against her? Recent injury maybe? They didn’t do this for every fight, too risky. It had been a while though and they were all hurting for cash. Construction in the city always slowed down in the winter and Catra hadn’t been able to pick up any extra diner shifts. In the summer she could usually fill in for a variety of construction crews but in the winter she fought like her life depended on it, because it did.

Catra flicked off the light switch, the light from the city was enough to illuminate the small room. Silencing her music she saw one text message. It wasn’t from someone she expected. 

Scorp: Are you okay!?! What the hell is going on over there? Please call me as soon as you get this. 

She hadn’t talked to Scorpia since her wedding reception. Seeing her once close friend’s name brought up twinges of guilt. Occasionally Catra would text her back but once Scorpia had moved away it was-- it was-- less painful just to pretend they’d never been close. She was happy for Scorpia and Perfuma. It was awkward for a while between them before that. Catra’s buff, chitinous friend had crushed on her for so long. She didn’t feel the same way but the attention had been nice, attention that changed after Scorpia met the beautiful farmer at Pike’s market and hit it off almost immediately. Montana was so far away for someone without a car, not to mention they lived in the middle of fucking nowhere. It was easier to forget than try to hold on to yet another person that left you. Catra sighed and hit the call button. 

“I’m sorry, your call cannot be completed at this time.” Catra looked at her phone, no signal. What the hell? She’d definitely paid this month right? Fuck. The text message was from two hours ago. It couldn’t have been out for that long. 8:30 and then she would leave. She could always swing buy DT’s or Rogelio’s tomorrow. They didn’t live that far from her. Lonnie would still get an earful she decided. 

Catra stepped back over to the window, it was much easier to see without the glare. Not only could she see if a familiar car pulled up but looking at the city at night brought her peace. All the flickering lights told a story. Who was up late? Who was working a soul crushing late night in an office? An electronic billboard flashed upcoming events for the convention center and fairgrounds. 

Sakura-con? Anime? What a bunch of nerds. The pink cherry blossoms twirled away and a pixelated video of a horse ran across the screen. Seattle Equine Symposium and Convention. A tough looking blonde with a sharp jawline popped up. Featuring Special guest 3X Wrangler Rodeo National’s Champion Adora Grey. Buy Tickets Now!! People actually went to that shit still? What kind of yeehaw dorks found that fun? Keep the country out of the city please. The small town she grew up in was bad enough.

A rush of flashing red and blue lights drove by. Actually, when she looked away from the billboard she saw that a bunch of red and blue lights were bouncing off of various buildings as far as she could see. What in Ethiera? She pressed her nose against the glass. Someone was running and not faring well against the ice and slope of the road. They slipped and fell. The human’s head smacked against the curb. 

Catra didn’t realize she was holding her breath. The person didn’t get up, the thin layer of snow near the curb turned pink. 

“Uhh..” She was about to run outside when she saw the person moving. A car slowed down and stopped just up the street from the person. A magicat woman stepped out and ran toward the downed runner. The human she’d thought died snapped their head up. She could swear their eyes were glowing and red? Without even standing up the body that was on the ground jolted through the air and was on the concerned citizen in a flash. 

Catra’s fur stiffened and cold icy horror ran down over her flesh. She felt her ears press hard against her skull. Blood sprayed through the air as the woman hit the ground. Glowing red eyes reappeared as blood dribbled from their chin and onto the dying woman’s face. A man bolted from the driver’s seat, she could hear him screaming as he tackled the attacker. It all happened so fast, she couldn’t look away. Catra's heart was racing and everything inside of her was screaming at her to run from there as quickly as possible. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer was coming down in her chest. The man was much bigger than whatever evil attacked the woman he was with. He slammed the assailant’s head against the ground over and over again until there wasn’t any movement. 

She felt nauseous. 

The man then scrambled over the motionless woman he’d been riding with. They looked so small from up here but she could see his heart ache as he cradled the woman in his arms, her puffy blue coat now dark with blood. He screamed as magicat teeth tore into his face. Catra yelped when she nearly tripped over a dumbbell. Pressed against the back wall she swiveled her ears, focusing and trying to hear over her own panic. There were sounds of screams and sirens all over the city. 


	2. 932 Miles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35SyGMhxi1JbuotKayadZB?si=KME0u0zxSNmmqLIvfcWdmw  
> updated as chapters are posted.

She could barely hear the slap of the mud beneath her feet over the sound of her own breath. Not much further. Anything, she would do anything for them to be there, there and armed. The snarling behind grew louder. Catra glanced back. The three sprinters she encountered a few miles back were getting closer. This is partially why she’d left Seattle. If hordes of the slow undead weren’t bad enough, the fresh ones were far more common in the city and far more deadly. The slow ones you could trick, lure away and get around if you were clever enough. 

They couldn't feel pain, they didn’t get exhausted like people do. Even with her magicat reflexes she wouldn’t be able to keep them away for long. Not much further, if she remembered correctly. She’d only been to her best friend’s farm once, for her wedding, two years ago. Catra had really never been one for sentimental keepsakes but thankfully she’d never been one to declutter either. She’d never bothered to move the wedding invite from her fridge. Digital maps might not work anymore but she had the address and physical ones.

“Fuck” Her boots lost purchase on the slick clay soil of the road. There was no time to think about getting up gracefully. She leaned forward pressing her hands to the ground to right herself, boots sliding but still moving forward. Half parallel to the ground she felt the fur on the back of her neck raise. With what little strength she had left she pushed to the side and rolled. With a loud thud and an inhuman snarl the red shirt sprinter was on the ground right where she had just been. Not only did they run, but they pounced too. You never had time to mourn someone who died. One moment you’d be saying goodbye to your lifeless companion and the next their blood red eyes would open and rip your throat out. 

Upright again she pushed her aching legs as fast as they would go. If she climbed into one of sparse trees along the road she could be safe temporarily but would be trapped and possibly die anyway. It took days for the fresh ones to simmer down, to rot. Even longer if they fed. 

“Not today.” She growled through huffs, lungs screaming for more air. Sure, it might be better to not speak at all but if she was going to die it wasn't going to be quietly. Over 900 miles, three bicycles, one dirt bike and four cars. Catra thought the last car she found would make it all the way here. It might have if whatever dumbass owned it previously thought to change the goddamn oil. ‘No big deal’ She thought when smoke billowed from the engine. It's only ten or so more miles. What could go wrong? 

The sun looked like it’d be around for at least another hour or so and she’d at least covered half the remaining distance. Why not check out that house on the hill? Maybe get something other than candy bars to eat? Some dry socks maybe? The rain had stopped and it didn't seem like a bad idea. If someone was there she’d just apologize and be on her way. It’s not like she had anything worth stealing. The most valuable thing she had was just a handgun with a jammed hammer that she didn’t know how to fix. She didn’t even get halfway up the drive before the first sprinter jumped through the wide glass window, the other two following shortly after. 

She hadn’t had enough food, water, or rest to keep this up for much longer. It was a long trip and she didn’t waste time. Food, there would be no way to carry enough for the whole journey. She found what she could and stuffed her bag with small things. High calorie items mostly. God she was so sick of candy. Catra Weaver craving a salad? What, was it the end of the world or something? Water was easy to come by until recently. Seattle? Of course there was water, it never stopped raining. The dry basin between Snowqualmie and Spokane hadn’t been as much of an issue as she thought it would. Someone had met an unfortunate end trapped in the traffic not far from the pass, keys in hand. It was flat enough that she just took the truck off road and skipped most of the road congestion that had doomed so many people two months before. 

How long had she been running now? An hour? No, not just running but sprinting. Catra had never been more thankful to be a magicat. She’s never hated who she was but ever since the dead didn’t stay dead, she truly began to appreciate the benefits. Her fur kept her warm. The tail helped her balance, her claws could tear through walls and flesh. Most importantly, she could run like no other, in peak condition anyway. 

The lizardfolk in Seattle didn’t fare so well. When the power went out it was hard to stay warm in the cloudy, rainy city. The last time she saw her “coworkers” they were essentially trapped. They hadn’t lived far from her but it was still surprising to see them. They had run out of food and had the same idea to pop in through the roof of a nearby apartment complex. They ended up stuck overnight and by morning they were too cold to run. Catra had trapped Rogelio and DT under a blanket with her, hoping her body heat would help. Before it wasn’t like they’d die in the cold, they just couldn’t move as quickly. Now though, that did mean death. Whenever the sun peeked through the clouds the rooftops held what was left of the lizardfolk in the city.

Roughly 932 miles, with only a few more to go and this is where she was going to meet her end. The slope and setting sun in her eyes wasn’t helping. Perhaps she should just stop if she didn’t see anything after cresting this hill. Stop and sear the full sunset in her mind. Watch the red and gold light cascade over the mountains surrounding this valley. Look at something beautiful before she died. 

Idaho was beautiful, the 70 or so mile stretch of it that she saw. There were hardly any living people in the valley that I-90 ran through.There were plenty of signs and flyers everywhere leading people to mountain cabins or mines. Smart. The valleys also funneled the dead pretty neatly. Freshly turned or not they weren’t clever enough to navigate the sliding rock like she could. Whenever she needed to leave the bike path her claws extended and dug into the plentiful trees. She felt wild there, like a mountain lion. The worst thing that happened to her there was having to abandon the dirt bike she found in someone's yard. She barely jumped off the bike in time to avoid the moose chewing lazily on the bike path that ran along the highway. It was thrilling. The idea of living in the middle of nowhere used to be appalling, but now that she was just starting to warm up to the idea she was going to die.

‘Clank’ Catra’s ear twitched forward. She heard it again. A distant metallic ting. Blurs of fencing started whooshing by in her peripheral. The slope evened out and there against the sun she saw distant silhouettes on the side of the road. 

“HELP!” The word came out more like a yowl. Even though her lungs were burning for rest it seemed to be loud enough for the silhouette to drop whatever it was holding and stand. It was hard to see exactly what was happening as the horizon shook with each labored step, the growls behind her growing more animated at her own scream. An amalgamation of shadow started moving and hope bloomed in her chest, urging her to keep running. Silhouette of horse and rider started galloping toward her then left. No, no please. 

Catra didn’t dare turn her head again but she let her eyes flicker to the left, trying to follow the movement in the meadow of tall grass. The palomino horse turned sharply and started heading back in her direction, clogs of mud flying behind it. They weren’t running away. She refocused on the road in front of her daring her legs to fail her now. She shrugged off her back pack without losing much momentum. If one horse wonder managed to save her before teeth sunk into her she could always go back for it. The thud of her pack was quickly followed by another, hopefully tripping one of the gnashing pursuers. Just because her eyes were fixed in front of her that didn’t mean she couldn’t use her ears to clue her in. 

Rhythmic beating of hooves grew louder. A vicious gurgle made her tense but the sound moved away towards it’s new prey. Her ears rang and she involuntarily jumped as the sound of a shotgun blast boomed all around her. Another one sounded out quickly after. Catra’s tail squeezed tighter around her own waist. It was not about to get grabbed or blasted. 

The unexpected leap made her stumble and she felt a rush of air from Presumably a hand reaching out to grab her. Please don’t be a double barrel. Only one left to go. Her footsteps were getting sloppier by the second. It had been a long slow incline to the crest of this hill she’d been for what felt like an eternity. Not only was she tired but her calves were starting to cramp after pushing up and forward for so long. 

From the corner of her eye she saw horse and rider now, around ten feet to her left. The woman lifted the shotgun, surprisingly steady as the horse cantered on. Catra’s heart sank as the gun lowered again. It was now or never, she looked at the woman. Why wasn’t she shooting? Her face looked nervous as she lifted the gun again. Fuck, the thing behind her was to close. Catra wouldn’t even be able to pull off that shot standing still, not with the spread. She’s seen first hand what those things can do. A roar escaped her as she forced her body past its limits. Weak cramping legs tore faster, the mud doing its best to suck her boots into the ground. The only thing that mattered in this moment was to put enough distance between her and the creature determined to eat her.

Catra’s ears hadn’t finished ringing from the first two shots but now her left ear felt like a stake had been shoved into it. There was a white hot heat in her shoulder. She couldn’t keep moving any longer. Her knees sunk into the road as she slowed. Catra half expected to be ripped apart in those short seconds but it never came. She stared at the blurry wet soil between her fingers. With each breath the tunnel vision and dizziness began to fade. Her whole body hurt and the heat in her shoulder felt worse. Something hot and wet began sliding down her left arm. Catra stayed there a while, desperately gasping for much needed oxygen. 

A shadow crossing over her caught her attention. She looked up, squinting in the dying sun. A tall blonde woman was bending over in front of her. Her lips were moving but she couldn’t hear anything. The lady in blue jeans and white t-shirt stepped closer and kneeled down in the mud right in front of her.

“Are you alright?” The ringing in her ears was still there, faded now. She twitched her ears, trying to focus on the sounds around her. Everything hurt but it felt distant. She knew it was the adrenaline. 

“I think so.” Her voice was hoarse and her body was shaking. “My pack..” There was no way she could move right now. Not the way her muscles were locked up from the sudden stop, not after how hard she had just run. It was stupid to just collapse like this. She should have gotten back up immediately and walked. The backpack was too important though. It had her rain gear that she’d shed earlier in the day. It had maps, a fire starter and her water purification straw. There was no way she’d give those up. When she started this trip she did have two working guns. It wasn’t a trade in the literal sense but rather a what is more important when you have thirty seconds to leave. 

The blonde peered over her and gave several small nods, ponytail bobbing with each. Hopefully it was clear that she wasn’t in a state to talk or move much yet. 

“Wait right here, I’ll grab it for you.” It would be silly for the woman to save her just to steal everything she had, but it still made her nervous. The horse wondered closer to the ground, lipping at the ground without a care in the world. Thank you brave steed. She’d never met a horse before but she didn’t think one would usually be this calm after having guns go off right next to it. Were it’s ears ringing too? There was a gasp behind her with fast footfalls shortly after. Somehow she managed to jump up and turn around. Were there more?

Instead she just saw a strong jaw and beautiful face looking very panicked. 

“Oh my god I am so sorry!” Blondie said, hand shaking as it reached out towards her left shoulder. Her face was twisted in a wide grimace that Catra would probably find funny if she hadn’t just nearly been eaten. 

“Uh.. for what?” Catra looked at her, confused. “You just saved my ass.” 

“I…” Blue eyes grew wider. “I…” She looked away now, fists balled stiffly at her sides.“..shot you.” 

Catra looked over to her left arm. Blood was dripping to the ground from her elbow at a steady pace. What didn’t drip ran down to her forearm, finding pathways threw her mud matted fur. She tried to swallow her nervousness down. A bullet wound is better than being eaten but if it didn’t get treated properly teeth might be preferable.

“Is it bad?” The taller woman leaned over her shoulder and sucked air between her teeth as she inspected the wound. That was reassuring. 

“I’m not sure? It looks shallow at least?” The tone of the woman’s voice didn’t sound very convincing. Catra let out a shaky breath. Now that she knew what that heat in her shoulder was it started to throb, and it felt weak. Ignorance really was bliss sometimes. “One of my housemates might be able to help you. I can try too but.. I’m gonna need tools.”

“I don’t think I can walk much further.” 

The woman pulled one side of her mouth up and a strange clucking noise came out. 

“Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Catra shook her head, looking up at the steed who trotted its way to them. “I’ll have you get on first, you can hold onto the horn.” She held her hands out to her, like she was going to pick her up. 

“I think I can do it myself.” Catra was starting to get dizzy but it couldn’t be that hard right? She went to reach up to the knob on the front of the saddle and immediately regretted it. Her left shoulder screamed at the movement. A gasp escaped her as the buckshot fought the movement, the flesh around the wounds were already starting to swell. Her rescuer held up her hands again.

“I can put you on the saddle and then you can swing your leg over. I’ll hold onto you until you can get your right hand on the horn… since you know.” She glanced at Catra’s left shoulder again. 

“Catra.” The blonde blinked at her a few times. “My name’s Catra. I’d like yours before you manhandle me.” The woman relaxed a little, a few laughs leaving her. 

“Adora.” Even through the exhaustion and pain Catra’s was a bit stunned when hands gripped her at the waist and pulled her close against the taller woman. “Ready?” Adora said. Catra nodded, her tail flickering behind her. 

Adora lifted her up like she was nothing. Had she really gotten that skinny? It took a second to scoot the rest of the way up on the saddle, one hand rested against her thigh. The horse shifted from side to side under her, eager to get going. It was awkward pulling her leg up and over the horse's neck and she was thankful for the hand that steadied her. 

It was odd how high up it felt. Catra had stood on skyscrapers before but as she looked around the world started to spin. Instead of leading the horse as she expected Adora swung up behind her, sitting right behind the saddle. 

“Alright, just hold tight okay.” Adora’s arm was pressed against her right, holding the reins awkwardly in front of her. The world was spinning faster as the beast moved from a walk into a slow trot. 

“Uh..” Catra started to slump over the horn, her fingers trying to keep grip. She let her claws out to lightly prick the leather covered metal. “Thank you.” Her mouth was dry and her head was pounding. The magicat felt herself sliding to the side as her eyes closed. 

“Fuck.” The voice was full of fear and distant. An arm wrapped tight around her waist and there was someone pressed right behind her now in the saddle. “Yah!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments fuel me. I did this instead of sleep. I've been working on this for days. Gonna try to update weekly as I'm still working on my other fic also.
> 
> Also lol that time I almost died from hitting a moose on my bicycle. I ended up in the creek instead. Yo don’t ride at night without bike lights.


	3. Bullets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ps the horses are all gonna be named after horses I knew aside from swifty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35SyGMhxi1JbuotKayadZB?si=KME0u0zxSNmmqLIvfcWdmw  
> updated as chapters are posted. 
> 
> Mentions of suicide, no ideation from our characters just mentions in the world.
> 
> Also huge thank you to Sathroe for helping me with this one.

Her eyes flew open with the sound of metal clinking against porcelain. A scream was leaving her mouth and she jerked, trying to move away from the blinding pain. A firm hand landed on her right shoulder, preventing her from moving any further. She snapped her head around, meeting a pair of wide brown eyes framed by a familiar caring face. 

“You picked a bad time to wake up Wildcat.” She sucked in air between her teeth as pained stutters poured out of her mouth. Hot blinding pain flared up as pressure was applied to the wound. Catra whipped her head around and then back again. 

“Scorpia? Perfuma?” Her voice wavered in disbelief. She made it. Scorpia was alive and now she was here at their farm. A hiss of pain escaped her as the pressure against her wound increased. 

“Yup!” Perfuma said, her voice high and strained. “I’m glad you’re here, however you really did pick a bad time to gain consciousness!” It wasn’t as much of a yell as it was a squeal. About a dozen candles flickered on the table in front of them. It had been a while since she’d been here but her hazy memory noted the familitary. Catra eyed the bloody bowl on the table with a shiny metal ball inside. She looked back toward Perfuma who was wearing a pair of bloody latex gloves. Her fingers shook, barely keeping the oversized tweezers between them..

Catra’s ears swiveled to hurried foot falls and her eyes followed. A door swung open and the blonde who had rescued her awkwardly breached the doorway from what she assumed were the basement stairs, closing the door with her foot. A flashlight dangled from her mouth, her arms were full of gauze, wrap and various other medical supplies. The flashlight fell to the floor. . 

“You’re alive! I mean of course you are. You’re awake!” Adora fumbled out, looking not quite sure what to do with herself. It looked like she’d grabbed everything in a hurry, small boxes and sealed packages ready to spill from her arms.

“Yes she is!” Perfuma screeched. Scorpia reached across Catra to rest a hand on her wife’s knee. She heard the woman take a deep breath before continuing. “And there’s still two more I can get out.” The strung out woman leaned further into her view, a wide uncomfortable grin across her face. “There’s one that’s in too deep.” The pressure was gone and a string of curse words left her that wove themselves into a growl as she ground her teeth. The pain ceased as she heard Perfuma let out a soft and defeated “Fuck.” It would have made her laugh if not for the fact that every never in her body was alive and firing. She’d only ever seen the woman this ruffled the day of her wedding. 

“We should at least get the shallow ones out.” Scorpia said as she squeezed her uninjured shoulder comfortingly. Her touch and scent did help her heart slow back down, a familiar presence after not having a trusting one for months. The scent of someone who wasn’t rotting, the scent of someone she knew would never leave her behind. “Let’s take a quick break and I’ll get you some water.” Her throat was incredibly dry. 

“Okay.” She croaked out. Adora seemed to come to her senses and hurried across the room, dumping the supplies in her arms onto the green suede armchair at the end of the coffee table. She stepped closer to Catra and fumbled with her belt buckle. She looked up at her, the once white shirt had a large red stain pressed on its front, accompanied by blotches of dried mud. If she hadn’t changed yet then she must not have been here long. 

Scorpia returned with a glass of water that she quickly downed. Catra knew she shouldn’t have drank it so fast but she felt woozy in spite of the pain fueled adrenaline, or partially because of it. There was a low throbbing in her head as the pain in her arm settled into a quiet burning.

“I ruined your shirt.” Catra said hoarsely. That was her blood seeped into the tall stranger’s white shirt. She must have passed out after getting on the horse. Adora blinked at her. 

“We ruined yours.” It was Catra’s turn to blink dumbly, noticing a bundle of green cloth on the floor and scissors on the table. She looked down now to realize she was naked from the waist up. That was her favorite shirt, she’d stolen it from Lonnie. She hadn’t noticed Scorpia going to fetch another glass of water. She sipped it more slowly this time, feeling the cool relief easing her throat. A knot was forming in her stomach from the sudden rush of cold from the previous glass. Catra wanted more but didn’t want to hurl so she rested the cup on the table instead. A brown leather belt was held out in front of her face as she settled back into the couch.

“To bite down on.” Adora said, looking everywhere but at her bare chest. Just how cozy had it been here compared to the city that she still had the wherewithal to think about that while Catra was bleeding all over the couch. You can blast heads off freshies on horseback but a pair of tits is bothering you? She took the belt from her as the blonde spoke. 

“Fuma.” 

“Yes!” Perfuma was doing her best to keep her hand still as she pressed the cloth against Catra’s shoulder. Adora leaned over next to her and pulled on a pair of gloves. 

“You want me to..” Adora started to say only to be interrupted with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” from her deeply unnerved surgeon. Perfuma almost forgot to hold the cloth in place in her rush to let Adora replace her. “I’m sorry, this is my fault.” Catra shook her head. 

“I’d be dead.” She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. She had ran so fast, so hard for so long and they shuddered at the forced expansion. Catra didn’t think she would’ve been able to stay ahead of biters for more than a few minutes after cresting that hill. 

“Ready?” Adora asked. Catra just nodded.

Catra doubled up the belt and placed part of it in her mouth, Scorpia picked up the slack and tried to look reassuring. Without more warning the tweezers disappeared behind her shoulder and she instantly regretted not looking away as the pain matched the movement of a forearm. The dry, sweet taste of the leather belt exploded in her mouth as she stifled a scream. Catra was still growling when the bloody cloth was pressed against her shoulder once more. The blonde held up the ball victoriously before placing it in the bowl. 

As much as it hurt, Adora made quick work of the second one. What she couldn’t stand was the sheepish smile the woman was giving her. The attempts at reassurance while being the one digging around inside her made Catra want to dig her claws into something.

“Ooh boy that last one is deep isn’t it.” 

“Can you see it?” Catra replied with a low rumble, letting the belt plop into her lap. She did her best to keep her tone even but it was still laced with violent imaginings. Adora waved at the pacing Perfuma, then pointed at the dropped flashlight on the floor. With the flashlight back on and in her mouth she leaned over once more.

“Yup” Adora said around the flashlight in her teeth. 

“Get it.” She felt all of them stare at her. Yes it would hurt like fuck all but she rather not risk any infection. This might make it worse but she was taking a gamble. Short lived pain vs risking a slow long healing time.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Wildcat.” Scorpia said, grabbing Catra’s hand. She was thankful for the comfort, this was not going to be a good time. This was going to hurt more than the last few. This was going to hurt way more than any injury she’d gotten in the ring. 

“Is it bleeding normally or pulsing?” This wasn’t information she ever thought she’d needed to know months ago but lived experience was a great teacher. Adora shook her head and mumbled what sounded like normal around the flashlight. That meant it didn’t hit an artery. It could stay in there. No, no it couldn’t. “My shirt was filthy, if you can see it, get it then flush it.” She left Scorpia’s grasp for a moment and quickly put the belt between her teeth. Catra grabbed her friends hand and nodded. 

It felt painful and disgusting. She could feel her eyes straining to go wider than possible. The pained groan quickly escalated. 

“FUUU-UUUCK!” The belt didn’t last long between her fangs. The room was spinning. She saw Perfuma rush in front of her, felt a cool hand on her forehead. 

* * *

If she read one more goddamn line about solar panel maintenance she was going to lose her mind. Was it a blessing in this hell on earth time that there was a working refrigerator? Absolutely! Hot water? Holy fuck she’d missed that. It had only been about three months since the world changed but it had felt like an eon since she’d gotten to open a refrigerator without gagging. Even with that hanging over her head nothing could be more mind numbing than reading over these technical manuals non stop. Was anyone forcing her to? No, but it's not like she could go lay fencing or do much more than feed the chickens.

The panels had been installed to work concurrently with the power grid, the power grid which was a useless network of cables now and only sucking electricity out. With some rewiring it might be possible to get the entire house running 24/7 with power and be able to use lights. The batteries were still good or at least she thought so anyway but once again they still were supposed to work with the grid, not be the main draw. Catra wanted - needed to be useful.

Before all this she was always active, not able to stay still for long. It made it easy to keep her body in fighting shape and now all that hard work had helped keep her alive. She needed to move her body. The first three days of pampering wasn’t the problem, but it’s nearing two weeks with everyone insisting she stick to light tasks and plenty of nerve wracking rest.

What she needs is to move.

Catra’s never been this still for this long, and every time she tries to get some exercise in one of the others will show up out of nowhere to whisk away whatever task she’s using as an excuse. At this point it’s taking as much a toll on her sanity as her body. She’s resorting to sneaking in some active stretches in the middle of the night just to feel her body move. It’s actually been good for her shoulder’s mobility the last few nights.

At least she’s no longer stuck in the cowgirl’s room. The new woman on the ranch is apparently the new owner, paid a hefty sum to snatch it out from under some corporate assholes. Scorpia and Perfuma hit a rough few years financially and had been forced to look for a buyer for their dream. In swept Adora with ideas of some sort of kid’s camp who paid extra to keep the couple on their land and doing what they loved.

It worked well for all of them it seemed. Adora had needed someone she could count on to take care of the horses that stayed behind as she traveled the rodeo circuit, because that’s a thing people can make a living off apparently. Catra nearly choked when she learned just how much the oddly charming woman won during her last circuit, over one million. Even in her bad seasons she still brought home hundreds of thousands, and that wasn’t even factoring in sponsorships.

This whole recovery the others had tried to keep her stuck inside the new owner’s room, sleeping on her memory foam mattress and going mad with the smells of a woman she doesn’t really know and enough brass belt buckles to crush a horse. Ok, maybe just a pony, but still, add in all the medals and trophies and that whole half of the house has her tasting metal in the air. Eventually the others relented and she’s been allowed to sleep on the couch. It’s not the most comfortable but they have a real bed for her up in the attic, they just won’t let her sleep there since there’s a ladder between her and it. It’s not the worst Catra’s slept on. Not by a lot.

Her friend’s little slice of heaven had changed quite a bit since she’d been here for their wedding. For starters they had three cows, which was very un-Perfuma of the place. She’d kept chickens before but only ones she had “saved” from the market. Now they had a whole flock. It probably was related to the cabins that had popped up around the property. The two that were finished were the ones closest to the house and one was left half built, mostly just framework. They’d have to take that down if they wanted to keep the wood usable, put it with the covered stockpile that was meant for the two bare foundations. 

It seemed that Adora was more than just a pretty face and cutting figure. She intended to open a summer camp of sorts, teach those poor city kids the joys of farm life. The city would have been much better for Catra than where she had grown up. She tried to imagine some of the kids that hung around her old apartment being whisked away for some good ole country livin’. They would have hated it. Then again, she’d always thought that she’d never like being out here either, and hell if it wasn’t cute how excited Adora got when talking about it. Adora had said that she’d done something similar as a child. Catra could respect that especially after the cowgirl had shared how she grew up. Wanting something more for all those kids like them that had been thrown in the foster system. All those kids, they’re probably dead now, too. 

Catra sees Scorpia and Perfuma out in the fields. The two had been spending the last few days trying to convert some more of the fields for the horses to extensive gardens so they could all have a better source of food nearby. More living bodies meant more mouths to feed. She wanted to help, she was that new mouth they had to worry about now. When their amature horticulture experiments got the best of them she’d often find them (Scorpia) building up the fences now that they know just how athletic the fresh abominations were. Perfuma of course would try to help, but would spend most of her time lost in her wife’s muscles. 

Catra doesn’t even blame her for that one; it would be a bit hypocritical given how often she’d been caught staring at the musclebound, annoyingly altruistic cowgirl. Speaking of, her ear swiveled towards the stable, the low sounds of music playing from a cd player tipped off just where blondie might be. They needed to have a talk about supplies for her project anyway and now’s as good a time as any, it gave her an excuse to walk around the property while still feeling like she was doing something useful. 

Adora snapped the second lead onto the halter and gave her a wave as she rounded the corner. Catra eyed the woman’s boots as she stepped onto the concrete. As much as she liked being able to walk around barefoot again like she did as a kit, she probably should have worn boots in here. Adora kept the stable remarkably clean but only so much filth could be kept from the walkways without hosing it down constantly.

“Who’s this again?” Catra asked as she slowly approached the black horse tied in the middle of the walkway. She jumped back as a white and gold head poked out of a stall. That one she knew was Swifty, the palomino that ran to her rescue. She made sure to sneak him a few sugar cubes as thanks when she first came into the stable. Unfortunately he now expected it every time. 

“This is Night, watch his hind end though he’s kind of an ass.” Fur went flying as Adora talked, taking what was called a curry comb over the horse’s coat. She’d thought about snagging one for herself but was a bit embarrassed to ask. They made something like these for the furred populace but it was one of the many things she’d left back in her apartment. Not to mention she’d have to ask someone to do it for her until her shoulder was healed enough, and to get her back. Her coat was too thick from the winter months and spring had left her feeling itchy. 

“Well, that makes two of us I guess.” Catra said as she brought her hand up to the black and white face to sniff. “So, we need to talk about getting some tools and trying to find some supplies to redo the electrical. I think I can make it so we can use all the electrical in the house, but I need to get into the cabins, including the one that your friends have claimed. Sparkles and Arrow?” Adora snorted, what a dork. They had left just a few days before Catra arrived, driving to Minnesota on the off chance that their parents could still be breathing. That was one hell of a gamble to take. It had been worth it for Catra to get out of the city but they were going into one. She would never say it but she didn’t think that cabin would be occupied by them again.

“It’s Glimmer and Bow and sure, whatever you need.” Adora said, trying to hide her smile as Catra gently ran her fingers over Night’s cheek. The shorter fur wasn’t unlike the finer hairs on her face, hands and feet. At first the stable repulsed her, the smell of horses, straw and dust was too much for her nose. It had taken a bit to get used to but it was still gentler than the exhaust and garbage smells from the city. The horses were pretty cool too. They way her friends and Adora would talk about them over dinner you’d think they were people. 

“He’s kind of a fatso.” Catra said, observing the way the blonde woman had to arch her body around his stomach when she reached over him. It made Adora snort again and god she was getting fond of that sound. It turned into giggling as the horse lifted his head as much as the leads would allow and lipped at her hair. “Hey.” Catra said with a low growl. “It’s not a bad thing.” Yeah, it made sense they way everyone talked about the horses, like old pals. “I’ll gladly take some of it.” 

She’d never been this lean before. Even before her near thousand mile journey she’d lost a lot of her body fat. In the last few quiet days in the house she’d noticed just how much muscle mass she’d lost too. Life almost felt normal here. They hadn’t seen a mindless shambler since the three Adora had killed. When Catra turned the shower on to let the hot water hit the pipes it was almost like this was some sort of vacation, until she caught her full reflection in the mirror that is. She must have lost at least 15lbs. Catra knew she hadn’t had that much fat to lose, it was already down to fit the weight class of the fight she had been preparing for. The scar on her hip from a set of teeth that had sunk in that first month was barely visible through her winter coat but as her finger traced it she knew she would never forget the feeling of those needle like teeth sinking into her flesh. Teeth like hers. No this was no vacation, those didn’t exist anymore. 

Catra was quick to find out that Adora wasn’t the person to ask about where they might find the tools that she needed. Before all this she was either at the ranch or on the road. She could tell Catra about what roads were best for the horse trailer but that was about it. She would need to make a list of supplies and did through some phone books with Perfuma who had the most relations with the businesses in the nearby town. Catra would have to go with whoever went into town. That wasn’t possible though until she was more healed, healed and learned how to ride a horse. Catra had argued at first but was reminded just how much further and faster the four legged beasts could run. She still didn’t like the thought of trusting something else with a mind of its own for her survival. 

They would never let her go alone either. If someone was heading further from the homestead than a few miles you went in pairs, the same was true for staying at the property. No one had been on a run yet since the two Catra didn’t know had left on their own voyage. They hadn’t needed to. It was a smart rule and had given her hope for her friends. They might have had a mostly peaceful time here so far but they were prepared for the worst. Catra even added a rule. No matter how close to the house they were, everyone was to keep a weapon on them or very nearby. Adora had a pistol holstered to her belt in true cowgirl fashion and Catra had machete the group had found on a town trip over a month ago.

Night looked like a new horse, his coat slick and shiny by the time they finished their conversation. Catra got distracted admiring Adora’s muscular back quite a few times as she worked over the animal. It had been a while since she’d been able to think about much else except for her own survival. She tried not to but her mind and body had other ideas. For one, the woman was nice to look at, secondly Catra wished she’d been able to retain as much of her definition as Adora had. Wasn’t that a thing she’d heard about anyway? Something about sex after a funeral, lust feeding the mind with life. All in all, it ended up making their conversation much longer than necessary but she suspected that she wasn’t the only one dragging it out. 

They were both headed back outside when they heard Scorpia give a slightly panicked yell in their direction.

“HEY! UH! GALS!” 

Just like that they were both running. Even before they got close Catra could tell that it was danger, not just something that needed their attention. She could see Perfuma holding her hoe up in the air like it was a baseball bat. It didn’t take them long to close the distance, it surprised her a little that Adora was able to keep pace with her. Magicat’s were naturally fast, eternians not so much comparatively. 

Scorpia’s mostly calm demeanor made more sense when she crested the slope and slowed to a stop near her friends. Somewhere between 300 and 400 yards there was a satyr dragging one twisted hoof behind them, even without the scent to key her in she could tell it was one of the dead, fluid dripping from its nose had left a large stain on the front of the filthy and torn shirt. This poor person had been dead a while, the straps from the backpack sunk into its shoulder. Catra shouldn’t have been surprised that it ignored the cow that was happily chewing grass behind it. She suspected that they might have no interest in animals but wasn’t sure. The dogs of the city might have been just swift and small enough to not keep their attention after an initial look. The sound attracted them but without a humanoid presence they didn’t follow long.

“I’m not the best shot and I didn’t want to hit the cow.” Scorpia said, pointing to her rifle that was leaned up against the gait to the pasture. “Not with this crosswind anyway.”

“No worries.” Adora replied, stepping forward with a hand hovering over her holster Catra reached out and grabbed her forearm to stop her before she could get any further. 

“Hold up.” Catra rushed out, letting Adora go when she turned back toward her. They were all looking at her expectantly. “Why are you wasting bullets?” Not to mention it was loud. Guns were for emergency use, for the ones that actually posed a threat. This was just one zombie. Catra gave them just as a confused look as they were giving her. 

“Well…” Perfuma started, finally relinquishing her death grip on the hoe. “It’s too risky. One mistake and you’re lunch or one of...” Catra saw the shiver run through her body. Catra scoffed. 

“It’s just one.” She couldn’t help but be amused at just how seriously her friends were taking this. One was nothing, a piece of cake. One sneaking up on you at night was a different story, especially if someone died quietly under the same roof as you. It was more than once she’d been startled by a freshie in her apartment building. How they’d died she didn’t know, but it wasn’t hard to imagine it was suicide at first, before the populace figured out it wasn’t a bite or a scratch that did you in. Those things definitely could kill you with the infection or blood loss afterwards but it wasn’t a death sentence. If you wanted to off yourself there was only one polite way to do it, a bullet. That was a lot harder to do than swallowing a bottle of pills. 

“Come on.” She huffed at their silence, tense posturing. Even if Perfuma was a little high strung lately she knew her friends were competent enough to finish one off. Her ear twitched at a thought. It was pretty secluded here, maybe they didn’t know? In all the zombie stories it was always the bite. “You do know it’s not infectious right?”

“What do you mean?” Adora responded almost immediately, her tone filled with skepticism. Catra sighed and dipped the waist of her pants down, turning so they could all see. She pushed up her fur so they could get a clear view. It was healed but fur still refused to grow over the scars. It had been a bitch to keep clean and she was lucky that she was bitten in a supply closet with a first aid kit. Catra had peaked out to see if the small group of slow ones had moved on when an undead magicat had shoved its head through the narrow opening of the door, tearing a decent chunk out of her as she pulled away.

“See, living proof.” They all looked dumbfounded as she flattened her fur back down and pulled the waist of her sweats back up. “It doesn’t matter if you get bitten or not. If you die, you come back.” 

“Well that explains why we didn’t find anything at that house. The one you said those three came from. It was empty a month ago when we checked it. We checked it out again the day after you arrived but there was nothing there, not even any blood.” Scorpia’s eyes went wide as she finished speaking, the others seemed to realize what that meant soon after and shuffled uncomfortably. 

“Hey, it could’ve been the cold.” Catra doubted it but she knew what had happened with Scorpia’s Mom after her other mother passed away. It was best if she didn’t dwell on it. Catra had been keeping an eye on the shambler slowly making its way up the hill. Not too close so far, even slower with its broken foot catching on the uneven ground. “I’ll get this one.” She pulled the machete free from its tattered leather sheath at her side. 

“Wait.” Adora said as she trotted along beside her, Catra already starting down the hill. 

“I got it darlin’.” Catra drawled, turning to look at her just in time to see an eye roll. “You can be back up. You know, _just in case_.” She teased and smiled at the blonde. This is just what she needed, a little bit of physical exertion. One wasn’t much but it was something at least to remind her how deadly she was, a display of how useful she could be in case a real threat came along. Maybe after this they’d stop treating her like a wounded doe. She still couldn’t swing her left arm, but her right was plenty strong on its own from years of boxing. 

She couldn’t go from the top or back like she usually did, the horns were in the way. Instead she sunk the blade into the forehead. The skull was thicker there but she hadn’t lost that much muscle yet. If the blade hadn’t been so wide she’d go under the chin and up or through the eye. This was a piece of cake, something she’d done a hundred times before and she hoped her casualness showed. If she had boots on she’d give it a little kick to make sure it fell backwards but didn’t want her foot sinking into any rotting flesh. When she turned around Adora actually looked a little impressed. 

Catra flashed her fangs, smirking at the eternian woman. “Didn’t get eaten or anything.” She cut the straps on the satyr's backpack, wiping the blade clean as she did so. Catra lifted the bag from the corpse with her injured arm and tossed it to Adora before sheathing her weapon. “I’m not allowed to carry heavy stuff, remember?.” 

“Point made Catra.” Adora replied with a sharp laugh, catching the bag with ease. Catra saw blue eyes scan her over, probably making sure she wasn’t injured even though Adora had witnessed the whole thing. Catra started back up the hill, her friends looking relieved the whole exchange had gone smoothly. 

“See! Not lunch!” Catra called up to them as she walked. Yeah she was laying it on a little thick but hopefully this would ease their minds a little. Her ear’s flicked behind her to catch what Adora was saying under her breath, hopefully a little embarrassed at how worried she acted. 

_“I know one way I would eat you.”_

Catra’s smile grew even wider as she twitched her ears back forward. She was fairly certain that the eternian had no idea just how sensitive magicat ears were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had to recover from finishing my other fic. 
> 
> Please feel comment and kudo's! The next chapter is going to be basically me flustering the hell out of Catra.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh.. hahahaha my imagination man. This whole story popped in my head because I listened to Garth Brooks's Rodeo for the first time in 15 goddamn years. Why am I like this? Please let me know what you think! I'm gonna try and update once every two weeks if not more.


End file.
